Abstract

IBARRA-NUNEZ, Edgar; GAMEZ, Alba E.  and  ORTEGA-RUBIO, Alfredo. Territorial Impact of Tourism on Priority Zones for Conservation and Priority Ecosystems of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Soc. ambient. [online]. 2018, n.17, pp.33-58. ISSN 2007-6576.

Sun and beach tourism relies heavily on attractive landscapes and coastal ecosystems. In Mexico, proposals for the use of natural resources should respect the functional integrity of ecosystems and their carrying capacity. However, not all projects do so, nor do they implement the necessary clean-up measures in the event of damage. This paper offers an analysis of the territorial impact of tourism on Priority Zones for Conservation (PZC) and Priority Ecosystems (PE) in the state of Baja California Sur (BCS, Mexico). The results of the analysis of Environmental Impact Manifestations (EIM) of 53 tourism-related constructions larger than one hectare studied show that they pay less attention to marine ecosystems than land ecosystems, while Priority Zones for Conservation receive even less attention. A heat map analysis revealed areas the municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos with a high density of tourism projects and significant negative impacts. This contributes to the degradation of the coastal zone and non-nsustainable tourism practices, as a result of which specific recommendations are provided to help reverse this situation.

Keywords : tourism; coastal zone; environmental impact; priority ecosystems.